Tag Archives: Mental Illness

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of mental illness.

See also Anxiety, Panic attacks, Suicide, Self-harm, Phobias, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Addiction.

Burden Falls by Kat Ellis

Burden Falls by Kat Ellis

Also known as Wicked Little Deeds.

The town of Burden Falls drips with superstition, from rumours of its cursed waterfall to Dead-Eyed Sadie, the disturbing spectre who haunts it. Ava Thorn grew up right beside the falls, and since a horrific accident killed her parents a year ago, she’s been plagued by nightmares in which Sadie comes calling—nightmares so chilling, Ava feels as if she’ll never wake up. But when someone close to Ava is brutally murdered and she’s the primary suspect, she begins to wonder if the stories might be more than legends—and if the ghost haunting her dreams might be terrifyingly real. Whatever secrets Burden Falls is hiding, there’s a killer on the loose . . .

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Alcoholism
  • Body mutilation
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a parent
  • Fire
  • Car accident

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable. While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment
  • Child abuse, including emotional abuse & gaslighting, on-page
  • Intimate partner violence & abuse, on-page
  • Cheating recounted
  • Suicidal ideation recounted
  • Depression & depressive episodes
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Smoking mentioned
  • Childbirth, on-page
  • Death of a grandfather from a heart attack recounted
  • Death of a grandmother
  • Death of a great-aunt
  • Death of a child mentioned
  • Drowning mentioned

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski

THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: You must be gifted. You must be younger than twenty-five. You must be willing to accept the dangers that you will face if you win. Eighteen-year-old Cassandra Gupta’s entire life has been leading up to this–the opportunity to travel to space. But to secure a spot on this classified mission, she must first compete against the best and brightest people on the planet. People who are as determined as she is to win a place on a journey to the farthest reaches of the universe. Cassie is ready … Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Amisia
  • Bimisia
  • Racism
  • Claustrophobia
  • Dubious consent (kiss)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Medical procedures
  • Physical injuries
  • Hospitalisation (infirmary)
  • Attempted murder

That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

It’s been three years since the Virgil County High School Massacre. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall during the mass shooting. Everyone knows Sarah’s story–that she died proclaiming her faith. But it’s not true. I know because I was with her when she died. I didn’t say anything then, and people got hurt because of it. Now Sarah’s parents are publishing a book about her, so this might be my last chance to set the record straight . . . but I’m not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did–and didn’t–happen that day. Except Sarah’s… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Alcoholism mentioned
  • Substance addiction mentioned
  • Overdose mentioned
  • Blood depiction
  • Death of a friend
  • School shooting
  • Bullying

The Memory of Light by Francisco Stork

The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

16-year-old Vicky Cruz wakes up in a hospital’s mental ward after a failed suicide attempt. Now she must find a path to recovery – and perhaps rescue some others along the way. When Vicky Cruz wakes up in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward, she knows one thing: After her suicide attempt, she shouldn’t be alive. But then she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she’s never… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Drug abuse
  • Depression
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Suicide & attempted suicide
  • Psychiatric hospitalisation
  • Kidnapping

Tidal Wave by EM Lindsey

Tidal Wave by E.M. Lindsey

Gunner has spent half his life running from his past, and the other half trying to protect himself from ever being vulnerable again. He’s escaped his old club and worked hard to earn the VP patch on his cut after joining the Broken Chains. But his entire life is turned upside down when Gunner’s past comes back to haunt him, and the club’s Deaf delivery guy ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time. When his president asks him to protect the injured man, Gunner wants to say no. After all, he hasn’t been able to take his eyes off Logan since the day they met, and Gunner can’t afford that kind of distraction. But ignoring him is damn… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Misogyny
  • Homomisia
  • Racism
  • Hate crimes
  • Child abuse mentioned
  • Anxiety attacks
  • Drug use
  • Knife violence & stabbing
  • Kidnapping

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job in the affluent suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy. Mallory immediately loves this new job. She lives in the Maxwell’s pool house, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body. As the days pass… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Transmisia
  • Substance addiction recovery
  • Kidnapping of a child

Scorpio Hates Virgo by Anyta Sunday

Scorpio Hates Virgo by Anyta Sunday

Percy Freedman is not grieving. Absolutely not, take that back at once. No, he’s entirely sure that selling his dead aunt’s home and leaving the neighbours he’s known for years is the sane thing to do. Who in their right mind would keep the house that smells like all the hugs he’ll never have again? Nobody, that’s who. Well, except his cul-de-sac neighbours. They all seem to think some paint and new furniture will clean the emotional slate. They all want him to stay. Even his nemesis, Callaghan Glover. Especially his nemesis, Callaghan Glover. Lured into a game of Sherlock Gnomes, Percy finds himself hanging… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Parental abandonment
  • Alcoholism
  • Heat stroke mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Emesis
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a relative
  • Near-drowning incident
  • Fire (minor kitchen fire)

Darling Girl by Liz Michalski

Darling Girl by Liz Michalski

Life is looking up for Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy–yes, that Wendy. That is, until she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for nearly a decade, has gone missing from the estate where she’s been long tucked away. And, worst of all, Holly knows who must be responsible: Peter Pan, who is not only very real but very dangerous. Holly is desperate to find Eden and protect her son, Jack, from a terrible web of family secrets before she loses both her children. And yet she has no one to turn to–her mother, Jane, is the only other person in… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape & sexual assault
  • Panic attacks
  • Drug abuse
  • Death of a child
  • Car accident

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel

The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in. For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything—and everyone—at a safe distance. When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had. Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry—baby fever comes with the territory… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape, on-page
  • Child abuse
  • Claustrophobia
  • Anxiety attack, on-page
  • Attempted suicide, on-page
  • Drugging
  • Forced impregnation
  • Infertility mentioned
  • Death of an infant mentioned
  • Murder
  • Car accident
  • Fire